All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard
Sohail Tanvir justified the Federal Areas’ stand-in captain Naved Ashraf’s decision to field first by taking five wickets to help bowl out Baluchistan for 253 at the National Stadium in Karachi. But Federal Areas conceded a bit of the advantage when they lost two quick wickets before the close of play to end the first day at 79 for 3.The Baluchistan openers Shoiab Khan and Usman Tariq walked out to bat in the three-hour first session and the duo added 41 runs before Shoiab was trapped by seamer Yasir Arafat for 25. Tanvir then took centre stage in a marathon 15-over opening spell, taking three wickets in succession to send Baluchistan crashing from 78 for 1 to 92 for 4. But Tariq scored a defiant half-century and added 73 runs for the fifth wicket with Nasim Khan (31) to stem the rot. But Baluchistan once again faltered, losing five wickets for the addition of 35 runs, with Tanvir claiming the vital wicket of Tariq for 68. Imranullah Aslam, the No. 10 batsman, then frustrated Federal Areas by striking an unbeaten 46-ball 51 which included nine fours, and adding 53 runs for the last wicket with Azharullah (20). Baluchistan’s innings came to a close when Azharullah was trapped by Saeed Anjwal, the only spinner to find any success on the first day.Federal Areas were in trouble just as they began their response when Kamran Hussain had Afaq Raheem caught behind for 2. Raheel Majeed and Fayaaz Ahmed pushed the score past fifty before Azharullah struck back with a double-strike: Ahmed was caught behind while Bazid Khan fell without scoring. But Majeed, who remained unbeaten on 42, and Usman Saeed, who struck a couple of fours on his way to 13, ensured there was no further damage.
Scorecard
Punjab’s star-studded batting line-up threatened to launch a run-fest, but none of their batsman, including Salman Butt, who top-scored with 72, were able to capitalise on their starts as they scored 295 for 7 on the first day against NWFP at the Gaddafi Stadium.Earlier NWFP found immediate success after choosing to bowl when Fazl-e-Akbar has Mohammad Hafeez caught behind by Zulfiqur Jan. But Butt turned things around by displaying the same sort of form that saw him make 290 against Federal Areas in the first round of the Pentangular Cup as he reached his half-century in a 60-run second-wicket stand with Nasir Jamshed (16). Akbar returned to remove Jamshed, but that brought Misbah-ul-Haq to the crease. But Misbah and Butt did not spend too much time together when the latter was run-out after a misunderstanding as Punjab stuttered to 112 for 3.Misbah then set about consolidating the innings as he scored 53 runs of 149 balls and adding 76 runs for the fourth wicket with Shoaib Malik (41). But once the duo were dismissed by Samiullah Khan and Shakell-ur-Rehman respectively, Kamran Akmal breezed his way to a 74-ball 40, striking six fours and a six to add some quick runs. Waqas Ahmed (12*) and Junaid Zia (10*) were then involved in an unbroken 25-run stand for the eighth wicket before stumps were drawn.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUsman Khawaja celebrates his second century of this season’s BBL•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

A year ago, a team from Sydney – who had sneaked into the last four – came to Adelaide to play the table-topping locals in a semi-final, and silenced a record crowd, with victory thanks to a magical innings from a stylish left-hander. This time, the name, colour and look of the Sydneysiders were different, but the outcome the same.Thanks to another glorious innings from Usman Khawaja, Sydney Thunder, for so long the competition’s whipping boys and laughing stock, have never lost a BBL semi-final. On Friday, Melbourne Stars – with bad weather forecast – will play Perth Scorchers to host the Thunder in the Final. For Strikers, the curse of the BBL’s top spot continues. Since BBL01, every table-topper has gone out in the semi-finals.Khawaja has reached rare heights this summer, but here, there was simply nowhere the Strikers could bowl to stop him. Within four overs, he had knocked off a third of the target, sharing 53 with Shane Watson, who was allowed just three deliveries. Gary Putland was recalled by the Strikers but mauled by Khawaja, with a brutal flick to leg in his first over followed by a scythe through the covers in the next.Jon Holland was treated no better, with a slog-sweep and two boundaries down the ground dispatched by Khawaja. The worst was reserved for Michael Neser, whose first over went for 19, including the easiest loose-limbed six over midwicket. There was more, all in the same magical over: an idyllic cover drive, a perfectly placed cut and a wristy flick.So beautiful and brutal was this display of batsmanship – there was not a single stroke that could be labelled a slog – that when Khawaja did find a fielder, cheers rung out. After Watson fell to a better Ben Laughlin over, Khawaja knocked Travis Head for a couple of singles to bring up the Thunder’s fastest ever 50, from just 24 balls. Khawaja was not yet done. Head’s next over was slog-swept and late cut for six, then four.Adil Rashid’s introduction briefly caused Thunder some bother, as Hussey was given caught behind when he did not seem close to it. Soon enough, as Rashid lost his length, Khawaja went after him too, lacing a beautiful cut for four. Rashid returned and fought back well towards the end, but by then, the damage had been done.As rain fell, Khawaja – in the company of Henry Nicholls – had motions to go through. Not a single risk was taken until he pulled Laughlin over the man at deep-square for another marvellous six to reach his second century of the tournament, and his fourth in seven innings in all cricket.Strikers’ 159 would likely not have been enough, even without a performance of such inspiration. The hosts were immediately behind the game, as fit-again Mahela Jayawardene was caught behind to Watson, and Tim Ludeman skied to a back-peddling Andre Russell, who made an extremely tricky catch look simple. Just as Head looked to be getting into his stride, consecutively cover-driving Nathan McAndrew for four, he was gone, slapping a half-volley straight to cover. When Brad Hodge missed a slog-sweep to a turner from Chris Green, Strikers were in strife at 4 for 66 at the halfway stage.A sweep-laden innings from Alex Ross, alongside some late humpty from Neser and Rashid, carried the Strikers to 159. Ross got after Fawad Ahmed, with a pull and two sweeps for four, then Watson, who he guided fine and pulled hard for another pair of boundaries. Watson dismissed Ross’s partner Jake Lehmann to halt the charge, but Neser threw the hands hard, proving particularly productive through the midwicket region. When he was yorked by Russell, and Ross fooled by a McKay slower ball, the onus was on Rashid to provide a final flourish. He delivered, cutting over backward point and driving over the covers for four, then finishing the innings with a tonk down the ground for six.Little did he know, though, that he was just setting the game up a little more perfectly for Khawaja. The Thunder had headed to Adelaide with no fear, as the only team to beat the Strikers in the regular season. They leave on Saturday – like their female counterparts – having made their first ever final. Make no mistake, the Thunder have arrived, even if it is five years too late. If it all looks like this, they are welcome to stay.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will retire from all forms of international cricket at the end of the home series against Australia in February 2016. McCullum, 34, made the announcement in Christchurch a day after his team won the Test series against Sri Lanka 2-0.McCullum will not play the World T20 in March in India, where Kane Williamson will captain the New Zealand team. He will play his 100th Test against Australia in Wellington from February 12 – the first player to play so many consecutive matches from debut – and retire after the second and final Test of that series, in Christchurch from February 20.McCullum said he would have preferred to reveal his retirement after the series against Australia, but the impending announcement of New Zealand’s World T20 squad had forced his hand.”Ideally, I would have preferred to wait until after the Test in Christchurch to make this news public,” he said today. “However, the schedule for naming the ICC World T20 squads means I couldn’t have managed this without causing a lot of confusion and speculation – something I was keen to avoid. I’ve loved my opportunity to play for, and captain the Blackcaps, but all good things have to come to an end, and I’m just grateful for the wonderful experience of playing for my country.”There’s a time and place for reflection and that’s at the end of your career. For now, I’ll be giving all my attention to helping the team focus on what’s coming up over the next few weeks – and making sure we’re in the best possible shape for what’s going to be a very challenging summer.”McCullum had stepped into the New Zealand captaincy amid much controversy over the sacking of previous captain Ross Taylor, and his first Test series as captain, in 2013, was disastrous. That series featured an innings of 45 all out for New Zealand in Cape Town, and brought the team two innings defeats.But New Zealand made significant strides under McCullum in the years since. In particular, he was credited with formulating New Zealand’s highly aggressive brand of cricket, which has brought them much success, especially at home. With the victory against Sri Lanka in Hamilton on Monday, McCullum’s New Zealand equalled the team’s longest undefeated home streak, of 13 Tests. McCullum’s current 11 victories from 29 matches also makes his win percentage the highest of any New Zealand captain, marginally better than that of Geoff Howarth, whose team had 11 wins from 30 games.McCullum’s captaincy also saw the blossoming of several New Zealand players. Trent Boult and Tim Southee have become one of the most feared new-ball pairs in the world during the past three years, while 25-year old batsman Kane Williamson has become the top-ranked Test batsman. New Zealand also played in their first World Cup final in March, under McCullum.As a batsman, McCullum had been a high-impact, aggressive player for much of his career, batting largely in the middle order in Tests, and as an opener in the shorter formats. Recent years have seen improvements in his defensive game. In 2014, he became New Zealand’s first triple-centurion, against India in Wellington. He was also the first New Zealand batsman to breach 1000 runs in a calendar year in 2014, having also hit a double-century against Pakistan, and 195 against Sri Lanka that year. McCullum is currently the joint-record holder for most Test sixes alongside Adam Gilchrist. He had hit his 100th six in the recent Test in Dunedin, and later said: “It’s the only record I care about.”Having been designated wicketkeeper for 52 of his 99 Tests, McCullum also has 194 Test catches and 11 stumpings to his name.

New Zealand will trial the pink ball and day-night format in the Plunket Shield in February, with plans being formulated to play a floodlit Test match against Bangladesh in December 2016.The February 20 round of the domestic competition will feature day-night matches played in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, as a step on the road towards a proposed night Test against Bangladesh. Lindsay Crocker, New Zealand Cricket’s head of cricket, said December was the right time of year for the concept.”We think probably the best one to try it would be Bangladesh in December,” Crocker told stuff.co.nz. “We think November is a little early so that December series could potentially be one. But we haven’t discussed that with them yet.”That [Plunket Shield round] sits quite nicely with three home teams having lit venues. We’ve identified that as a round that, should this [Adelaide] match go successfully and we’re satisfied that we can try it, then we would [go ahead].”The BCB said it hadn’t been approached yet. “They haven’t told us but if it comes up, it will first go to the cricket committee, then we will take a policy decision on the board level,” the chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.David White, the NZC chief executive, said momentum for the format was growing. “In the debate around the ICC chief executives’ table there has been a lot of interest,” White said. “Everyone acknowledges that outside of England and Australia it’s been a challenge for Test crowds and is certainly a concept that people are very receptive to.”The news arrived as Brendon McCullum’s team prepared for the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval from Friday, with several other nations already showing an interest in a concept that has been pushed heavily by Cricket Australia in recent times.”People are voting with their feet that they’re encouraged by what the pink ball Test match has to offer,” McCullum said before his team’s floodlit training session on match eve. “For us to play in front of 40,000-odd people in a Test match is pretty amazing and we’re really, really excited about it. Hopefully it goes off brilliantly and there’s no challenges and no problems.”If we have that final session on that fifth day under lights and a result is in the balance then it could be anything for Test cricket. It could be something that is outstanding for the game. We’ll find out once the game’s over but we’re relishing the opportunity to test it out.”

Matthew Hayden might have spent only two weeks withthe Indian Premier League, but the experience has leftmore than memories. As he contemplated a return tolife as a Test player, Hayden joked about the changeshe would need to make before the first Test againstWest Indies on May 22.”Don’t be surprised if you see me trying to hit overthe top in the first few overs,” he said. “There’ll bebig adjustments.”Hayden has a lot to think about over the nextcouple of weeks after his journey in India involvedtrying to launch balls out of stadiums. Regaining thedefensive outlook required to deal with openingbowlers delivering red balls will be essential whenAustralia take their first Test steps since the 2-1victory over India in January.A five-day camp in Brisbane started the change inapproach for the 15-man squad and Hayden spoke of thealterations while standing next to his opening partnerPhil Jaques. “Jaquesy and I have to graft away forfour-and-a-half hours before we get a chance toexpress ourselves,” he said. “[In Twenty20] it’s agreat relief for opening batsmen to feel like you havea licence – you feel like Adam Gilchrist.”While Hayden was blasting away in the IPL, Jaquesspent four weeks at home with his family afterconcluding his season with a Pura Cup victory. Hehas had some time in the nets and enjoyed his break. “I’vefreshened up,” he said, “now it’s business time.”The trip to the West Indies will be Jaques’ first Testtrip as a settled member of the side. In the lead-upto the previous campaign he was trying to stay aheadof Chris Rogers to take Justin Langer’s place, butthis time his preparations are more stress free.”I was not guaranteed a spot this time last year,” hesaid. “I had to work really hard to make that spotmine. In the short-term at least there’s a little bitof breathing room, but everybody’s got to perform andkeep raising the bar.”Hayden is excited to be returning to the Caribbean,the scene of Australia’s 2007 World Cup triumph, andthe start of a long campaign. By the time the squadhas its next major break Hayden is likely to havejoined Langer in retirement.”We’re really excited about the next phase … we haveto be because it’s two years of solid cricket,” hesaid. “The West Indies holds amazing memories for mefrom the World Cup. I’ve enjoyed my cricket there asmuch as anywhere in the world.”

Bollywood superstars Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan are likely to beassociated with teams in the unofficial Indian Cricket League, Cricinfo haslearnt. However, unlike the Indian Premier League, the ICL has ruled outhanded over ownership to the superstars.”Ever since our inaugural tournament we have seen some interest fromBollywood personalities and we are at an advanced stage of discussionswith a few of them,” Ashish Kaul, the executive vice-president of Essel Group, told Cricinfo.”This may involve owning a part of the stake, it may have to do withlong-term associations, or long-term sponsorships, tie-ups.”However, Kaul confirmed that the ICL were not changing their model andwould not hand over entire ownership to individuals. “Our cricket is notfor sale,” he said, “and we are not going to function with auctions.”Khan and Kapoor, it is learnt, are leading contenders to have long-termassociations with teams. Both may be marketed as the face of the team andused as ambassadors in sponsorships.Kapoor had performed at the opening ceremony of the inaugural edition of the ICL in Panchkula. The latest instalment of the ICL kicked off on March 9, with two new teams – increasing the total to eight – and is to be held at three venues, Panchkula, Hyderabad and Gurgaon, instead of one.

ScorecardNaman Ojha hit 11 fours in his unbeaten 79 as Madhya Pradesh lived to fight another day in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Cuttack•Associated Press

A patient unbeaten 79 from Naman Ojha kept Madhya Pradesh’s flame burning in their semi-final clash against Mumbai at the DRIEMS ground in Cuttack. MP wobbled their way to 197 for 5 at stumps, still trailing Mumbai by 174 runs, with Ojha and Ankit Dane having put together an unbroken 60-run stand when play ended.Mumbai added 44 runs to their overnight total of 327 for 7; Shardul Thakur and Balwinder Sandhu, their new-ball pair, chipping in with 27 and 21 not out respectively to shore up the total. Puneet Datey, the medium pacer who went wicketless on the opening day, returned to dismiss Siddhesh Lad (60) and Thakur (27), while Chandrakant Sakure, playing in only his second first-class game, picked up the wicket of Badre Alam to finish with 5 for 127. It also happened to be his maiden five-for.MP lost their openers, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Shrivastava, with just 20 runs on the board, with Alam and Sandhu picking one wicket apiece in their opening spell. Rajat Patidar led a brief recovery, making a 115-ball 33, before Mumbai hit back with two wickets in as many overs.Patidar was bowled by Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, to break a 55-run stand for the third wicket. Nine balls later, Devendra Bundela, MP’s captain and most-capped player, was dismissed by Abhishek Nayar to leave them precariously placed at 78 for 4.Ojha then drove the game forward, hitting 11 fours in his 182-ball vigil, even as he saw the in-form Harpreet Singh fall to Sandhu for 36. But the sixth-wicket pair of Ojha and Dane showed some fight by batting out the next 15 overs as MP lived to fight another day.

Three countries have applied for ICC Affiliate membership and two more to be upgraded from Affiliate to Associate membership.Bulgaria, Estonia and Turkey’s applications for Affiliate membership will be considered by the ICC and its annual conference in Dubai at the end of June.Guernsey and Vanuatu have applied for an upgrade to Associate membership which, if successful, will mean a substantial increase in the funding available to their national associations.Consideration of Vanuatu’s application is subject to it meeting the playing standard criterion in its matches against existing Associates in the World Cricket League Division 5. An ICC team is inspecting the facilities in Guernsey this week.

Group A

The Lahore Lions pipped the Peshawar Panthers by one wicket, with one ball to spare, in a high-scoring thriler at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.After the Panthers lost two early wickets, opener Naved Khan made a patient 57 to steady the innings. Brisk fifties from the middle-order pair of Nawaz Ahmed and Akbar Badshah then put them on course for a big score. Nawaz scored 67 off 74 while Badshah was unbeaten on 81, which required only 73 deliveries. Jamaluddin chipped in with 43 as the Panthers finished on 287 for 6.Opener Shahnawaz Malik (73) and No. 3 Mohammad Saeed (46) set the platform for the chase, but Badshah and Hidayatullah Khan picked up two wickets apiece to reduce the Lions to 175 for 6. Ahmed Butt and Mohammad Hussain both contributed 40s to keep the Lions in the hunt. The final flourish was provided by No. 10 Mohammad Shahzad, who smashed three sixes in his 30 off 13 balls to see his side home.In Islamabad, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) completed a 67-run win over the Islamabad Leopards.HBL’s batsmen were guilty of failing to cash in on their starts, but they still managed to score 276. Aftab Alam top scored with 49, but from 231 for 9, it was the last-wicket pair that pushed their side to a challenging score. Again, it was a No. 10 who starred; Fahad Masood hit three sixes and two fours in his 23-ball 39.Leopards suffered two setbacks at the hands of Gul at the start of their reply, before Umair Khan (62) and Ameer Khan (55) did the repair job. But three wickets for the left-arm spinner Mohammad Aslam, coupled with three run-outs, saw the Leopards bundled out for 209 in 41.5 overs, well short of their target.Khan Research Laboratories continued their unbeaten run to stay on top of the group, posting a five-wicket win over the Quetta Bears in RawalpindiSaeed Ajmal took 4 for 50 as the Bears were restricted to 224. Shahzad Tareen and captain Nasim Khan made fifties but Ajmal triggered a mid-innings collapse. KRL captain Mohammad Wasim then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 81. Saeed Anwar jnr, his opening partner, made 33, while No. 6 Fahad-ul-Haq scored 47 at a run-a-ball as KRL reached their target with almost ten overs to spare. The Bears have lost all four games in the tournament so far.

Group B

In Sialkot, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) thrashed the Multan Tigers by 114 runs. Misbah-ul-Haq blitzed an unbeaten 125 off 89 deliveries as SNGPL racked up 307 after being put in. Mohammed Hafeez, the SNGPL captain and opener, laid the foundation with 17-year-old Umar Akmal after they had been reduced to 7 for 2. Both fell in the 60s, but Misbah took over to take SNGPL past 300. Kashif Naved conceded 25 off his only over.Opening bowler Asad Ali then took 4 for 23, while Hafeez chipped in with three wickets as the Tigers were dismissed for 193 in 43.4 overs. Usman Tariq top scored with 68 but there was little contribution from his team-mates and the Tigers fell to their third successive defeat.At the Sheikhupura Stadium, Water and Power Development Authority eased to a five-wicket win over the Hyderabad Hawks. Sarfraz Ahmed struck twice as the Hawks were reduced to 17 for 3. Despite captain Rizwan Ahmed’s 34 and a 61 from Shahid Qambrani, the Hawks managed only 160, as none of their other batsmen scored more than 15.Sunny Irshad’s 61 and Aamer Sajjad’s unbeaten 41 helped WAPDA reach their target in the 34th over. Nauman Ali picked up two of the five wickets to fall, conceding only 30 from his ten.

Group C

Sixteen-year-old Ahmed Shehzad scored an unbeaten 88 off 84 balls to steer the Lahore Eagles to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Pakistan Customs at the Gaddafi Stadium.Shehzad’s knock came after a disciplined bowling performance from the Eagles kept the Customs down to 201. Arsalan Mir grabbed 4 for 36 and Azam Khan and Sohail Ahmed took two wickets apiece as Pakistan Customs were all out in 46.1 overs. The Eagles in reply needed only 30.5 overs to overhaul their target.In Faisalabad, the script wasn’t too different. The Karachi Zebras chose to field and limited the Faisalabad Wolves to 200, a score they chased down in 36.2 overs and for the loss of only three wickets.Chinaman bowler Ahsan Baig, who was part of Pakistan Under-19 squad for the World Cup in Malaysia, took 3 for 47, while Fahad Khan and Afsar Nawaz picked a couple each. Shahzaib Hasan powered the chase with his 76, while Khalid Latif and Rameez Raja contributed 40s. For the Wolves, Saadat Munir had figures of 10-2-41-3.

Group D

In Karachi, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited also decided to field first, and restricted the Karachi Dolphins to 154, thanks to opening bowler Kashif Daud’s 4 for 16, supported by two-wicket hauls for Mohammad Khalil and Inam-ul-Haq.Inam-ul-Haq then opened the batting and remained unbeaten on a run-a-ball 66 as the target was achieved with seven wickets and nearly half the overs to spare. Afaq Raheem was the other not-out batsman, with his 54 coming off 40 deliveries.After a tense encounter with the Rawalpindi Rams in Karachi, group leaders Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) managed to extend their unbeaten streak with a 11-run win.PIA were off to a solid start after deciding to bat, with a century stand between openers Khurram Manzoor and Yasir Hameed. However, both fell in quick succession, and only 103 runs were put on for nine wickets. Hameed top scored with 59, while Mohammed Aamer scalped 3 for 40 off his ten overs. Yasir Ali and Babar Naeem took two wickets each as PIA were all out for 210, one ball short of their alloted 50 overs.Naeem then scored a brisk 56 in the Rams’ reply, but the next-best score among the top six was 15. Yasir Murtaza made a handy 42, and Under-19 player Mohammad Rameez’s unbeaten 28 at No. 10 was in vain as the Rams were bowled for 199, with 11 balls still to go in their innings. All the five PIA bowlers were among the wickets, with Najaf Shah and Nauman Alvi taking three each.In a game held on March 25, Junaid Khan’s 4 for 16, and three-wicket hauls for left-arm spinners Noor-ul-Amin and Khalid Usman set up a resounding nine-wicket win for the Abbottabad Rhinos against Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) in Karachi.SSGC decided to bat, but Junaid reduced them to 19 for 4. Saeed Bin Nazir, the SSGC captain, scored 42 as he revived the innings in a 67-run stand with Mohammad Zafar (13). Noor-ul-Amin and Khalid got into the act then, and quickly wrapped the innings as six wickets fell for 18 runs. In 9.3 overs, Noor-ul-Amin scalped 3 for 28, while Khalid had figures of 3 for 5 in his five as SSGC capitulated for 104 all out.Wajid Ali powered the Rhinos’ chase with an unbeaten 52. He put on a 77-run opening stand with wicketkeeper Ghulam Mohammad (30), and Usman Khan chipped in with 16 not out as the Rhinos reached their target in the 21st over to clinch their first win in four games.

England are nursing fears over Ben Stokes’ fitness to bowl in the remainder of the third Test after their captain did not turn to himself to stifle Australia’s day-three march towards an Ashes-sealing victory in Adelaide.Having bowled 19 overs in Australia’s first innings – all on day one – Stokes would have usually featured in the attack. However, he didn’t bowl himself at any point during the host’s 66 overs, despite boasting England’s best average (25.87), with eight dismissals – including a five-wicket haul in his opening spell of the series in Perth. He also has the second-best economy rate (4.05) after Jofra Archer.Trailing by 85 runs at the start of Australia’s second innings, England made breakthroughs at 53 for 2 and then 149 for 4. But Travis Head’s second century of the series, supplemented by a half-century from first-innings centurion Alex Carey, blitzed Australia to an overnight lead of 356.Stokes marshaled his troops for all but three overs of the third innings – between the ends of the 48th and 51st – after bumping the back of his head while fielding. He had begun the day with bat in hand, resuming on 45 and extending it to 83 before becoming the penultimate batter to fall in England’s first innings of 286.The knock itself lasted more than five hours (312 minutes), with the first 151 of the 198 deliveries he faced coming on Thursday (day two), when temperatures were just above 41 degrees centigrade. By the end of day two, he was taking regular breaks to stretch out several ailments, including cramp. He even struggled to consume the requisite amount of carbohydrate drinks to replenish his energy reserves because he was too ill.Stokes looked sore as he walked across Adelaide Oval after stumps on Friday, clearly nursing the toll of three days of hard graft. England assistant coach Jeetan Patel admitted he was not entirely sure why Stokes was unable to bowl, believing it may just be down to tiredness given his exertions so far.”From what I understand, he’s pretty fit to bowl,” said Patel. “I think he’s just pretty knackered and he’s taken a lot out of himself to get through this point in the game.”The disappointment of the way he got out this morning… well not the way, it was a pretty good delivery… but all the work he had done to get to the position where he was, where we could press on again and push that partnership further… that took a lot out of him as well and then you get that early wicket and the energies are up and all of a sudden it’s not quite where you think it’s going.”From what we heard he was (fit). He didn’t bowl, but that’s probably a different discussion with him. I don’t actually know. My sense is he’s just pretty knackered. We all know he doesn’t do anything at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a risk, so he didn’t bowl.”Even with question marks over Stokes’ capacity to fight more than he already has, Patel has urged England to produce something magical. Pushed into the final corner, with a mooted target expected to be in world record territory, he believes the team have worn too many blows from Australia over the nine days of play, the first six being enough for the hosts to take a commanding 2-0 lead.”I’m very optimistic of where we could take it,” said Patel. “I still believe there’s an opportunity for us. It won’t be easy, we’re going to need something magical. I think it’s about time we saw something magical from us, you know?”Three games in, we’ve thrown some but taken a lot and I think it’s about time, now we’re backed into a corner, to throw some haymakers back.”When I go back in that changing room, that’s certainly the way I’ll be looking at it. I’m sure there’ll still be some guys having a little laugh about themselves and it’s what this game is about. It tests you down here, doesn’t it, and asks you some really hard questions. Personally, I think we’ve just got to try and find a way to stand up and answer them.”